Sweet Invitations
by LPlover93
Summary: What if Harry invited someone to the Yule Ball, knowing there would be consequences from that decision? A GoF AU. Slightly OOC. Written for the Fandom Against Juvenile Diabetes


Title: Sweet Invitations

Penname: LPlover93

Rating : K+

Banner maker: Mandy52799

Beta : CrazySue05

Summary: What if Harry invited someone to the Yule Ball, knowing there would be consequences from that decision? A GoF AU. Slightly OOC.

Written for the Fandom Against Juvenile Diabetes.

Disclaimer : If I had owned Harry Potter, I would definitely not have killed off half the characters who are actually worth having a Happily Ever After.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Harry stopped at the corridor which used to be _forbidden_, and started breathing heavily. What was so special about him anyway? Apparently, he did something to make a wizard disappear, an evil person who killed lots of people. He had never believed it in his four years at Hogwarts, but some of the stories being exchanged around were too good to be true.

"_You know, he crushed a python between his two small hands when he was five!"_

"_He gave a glare, and two Death Eaters were burnt to ashes in front of him when he was three!"_

"_No one dared to even stand within fifty feet of him as his aura flared so brightly!"_

This didn't help the fact that everyone was fawning over Harry as his flying skills had far surpassed Viktor Krum's skills during the First Task. And with the Yule Ball being announced, every girl's eyes were upon him. He was helpless and defenseless. He had no clue with what to do with the sudden attention thrust upon him. Being a celebrity sucked sometimes, Harry thought. He was always painted either in a good or bad light. It's like the paparazzi were undecided whether he was the son slash incarnate of Voldemort himself, or the prodigal son of Dumbledore. Harry was frustrated. And it didn't help that he was not able to find the girl he wanted to ask out to the Ball.

Surprised? Yes, Harry had a love interest in mind. And he knew the choice he made would spur a lot of controversy and a lot of problems for the girl. And that was the reason why he hadn't approached her till now. He loved her quirkiness, her way of viewing all the realities in the world, even if it was a slightly convoluted way of doing so. And as if she was a mind-reader, she walked by, and Harry almost started to walk behind her, mesmerized by her walk. But then, he stopped himself. After all, she didn't know him at all, unless you count the Weasleys talking about him to her, or all the rot in the Daily Prophet.

"Don't worry Harry, I don't read the Prophet."

Harry looked up in surprise and saw a hint of a smirk on Luna's face as she skipped away, giggling.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The next day for once, the trio had come down together for breakfast. Harry had somehow persuaded Hermione to stop knitting socks and hats and start sleeping for some time. Ron literally ran to the table, huffing and puffing as if he had raced a 5 km marathon rather than coming down staircases which literally worked like a combination of lifts and escalators. Hermione walked a bit slower, walking in time with Harry. She winked at Harry and asked him, "So have you asked her yet?"

Harry was flabbergasted. He thought no one knew except for him and maybe Luna. Hermione gave a smile which made it obvious how pitiful she thought Harry was and told him, "Sweetie, I spend about fourteen hours with you daily, out of which you spend about four hours mooning over someone in your thoughts and an hour in the Dining hall where you stare at her all the time. Yesterday, your pumpkin juice was all over your shirt as you gazed at her."

Ron laughed and said, "Yeah, she _evanesco'd_ the stains off your shirt and you didn't realize."

Hermione huffed and said, "You do not use evanesco'd. Evanesco is a magic spell term. I magically removed the stains off his shirt."

"You got what I said, didn't you though? Isn't that enough?" Ron retorted.

As the duo continued fighting, Harry tuned out of their conversation as Luna walked into the room. It was like a thousand fireflies had come and settled upon her. She was as bright as a star. You couldn't help but look at her. Her blonde hair flew behind her, dancing, as she sat down. She took her normal breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs and a mega-large glass of milk which Harry thought, was specially brought by the elves to maintain her perfect teeth. Hermione, who had stopped the argument for now, smirked at him and said, "How stalkerish of you, that you know her exact breakfast." Harry looked at her with slight anger, missing the endearing smile Luna gave in his direction.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~ Harry had gotten the day off, again. They'd only had Care of Magical Creatures that day and a Niffler had gotten hold of Lavender's shiny earrings. So they had to take her to the Hospital Wing as Hermione had stunned the Niffler while it was still attached to the earring. He said bye to Hermione and Ron, who had gone to research for S.P.E.W and to eat respectively. He walked a bit into the forest to find Luna barefoot there. She had raw meat in her hands and somehow parts of it were disappearing. He asked her, "Is that a neat magic trick or what?" Luna softly smiled at him and said, "Nope. Even though this castle is imbibed with loads of magic, I am not doing this. The animal eating this from me is called a Thestral. You can't see it as you can only see it when you have seen people die in front of you. You were so young as a baby when your mother died that your subconscious has blocked that memory. That was also why you could only hear it last year when the Dementors had come."

Harry wanted to ask her who she had seen die, but was not oblivious to the fact that it would be hurtful. So he asked her, "Can I also help?" She offered her hand and he touched it as he took the meat. As he couldn't see the Thestrals, he just held his palm out and let them eat it. It was actually kind of ticklish, the way they directly ate it from his palm. Harry was trying to work up the courage to ask her out to the Ball when she cutely asked, "Would you want to come here again tomorrow to feed the baby Thestrals?" She was so sweet that he couldn't help but say Yes. Well, he would have said yes to committing murder too, if she had asked.

This continued for the next week. Boys were slowly but surely becoming desperate enough to start asking girls they didn't even know. Especially girls who were in the Third Year. And then Harry realized that it was now or never. For all he knew, Luna might say yes to a Ravenclaw boy who would be eons smarter than him. His mind started generating all sorts of scary daydreams where Luna told Harry, "You were good, but he is much, much better." Just then, Ginny came and told Harry, "Don't worry, she will say yes to no one but you." Harry had just one thought recurring in his head: Does everyone except Luna know how I feel about her?

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Harry walked out the castle doors, hand in hand with Luna. This was a habit she had started the first evening they went home. As they crossed the Beauxbatons carriage, Harry missed the wink a certain blonde gave Luna. He was very much fascinated by the softness of her hands. They were about to cross the cottage where Hagrid lived, when Hagrid came out with a bouquet of Lily of the Valley's. He smiled at Harry and gave it to him. Harry in turn gave it to Luna and said, "Luna, I know that you know that I have liked you for a long time now. You are sweet and unique and I lo- like that quality in you. These flowers signify purity and sweetness. I hope you will accept them, and my humble request that you be my date to the Ball."

Luna gave a wide smile, cheered in a way he would have never expected and said, "I have been waiting for so long. Why did you take so much time? Do you think I would let anyone and everyone feed my sweet Thestrals?"

Harry just shrugged in a typical-boy way and held his hand out for Luna's as they walked toward the area where the Thestrals were waiting for them.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Thanks to my gorgeous beta and wifey, CrazySue05, who does an awesome job of correcting all grammar mistakes I constantly make. I love you, babe!


End file.
